How Promoting an Online Business Works

The virtual marketplace is bursting with business opportunities, but taking advantage of online commerce requires very particular marketing strategies.

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While you may think the hardest part of getting your online business up and running is the planning and development of your Web site, your battle at that point is really only half won. You still have to get people to visit your site, and as if ­that weren't enough -- you also have to get them to buy something once they get there (assuming your site's purpose is to sell something).

According to Media Metrix, the Web saw an estimated $73 billion in retail revenue in 2002, and that number is expected to jump to $118 billion by 2005. So how do you get some of that action for your own Web site? Well, first you have to get people to your site. But how do you do that? How much does it cost? What works the best?

In this article, we'll tell you how you can code and register your site so people can find it with search engines, how you can better promote your products within your site, and how you can make some extra money through allowing others to advertise their products on your site.